Gary Hirsch, of Portland Oregon, is well known nationally for his “Bot Joy Project,” and the colorful robots he paints on blank dominoes.
Hirsch’s installation of the mural “Bot Stories: Boulder” was completed on May 3, 2014. The mural was funded by the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Cultural Services, and was a collaboration with Boulder Digital Works, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA), and the Boulder Farmer’s Market. The mural is a temporary public art project, and is expected to be up at this location for approximately one year. More information about the Boulder mural can be found on Hirsch’s website at: www.botjoy.com/201404/bot-stories
The mural is designed to be interactive. As Hirsch explains, “Stand in front of a Bot and ask someone to take your picture or video (or take a selfie). Think about your answer to the question being asked by the Bot you are posing with. When you have your answer, post it along with the photo or video of you in front of the Bot to #botstories #botjoy. Check in online to see how the resulting community portrait is forming.”
“This is a marvelous opportunity,” said Matt Chasansky, manager of the City of Boulder Office of Art and Cultural Services. “I had heard about Gary’s touching Bot Joy project, and especially his work with children at Randall Children’s Hospital. He did an inspirational Tedx Talk, and has been circulating these inspirational “bots” all over the world for years now. It is great to be working with Boulder Digital Works, not to mention our other partners at BMoCA and the Boulder Farmer’s Market, to bring Gary’s largest-ever bots to Boulder. Gary’s message of community, collaboration, and joy will resonate in Boulder for the life of these colorful, whimsical, inspirational bots.”
Jody Tableporter, project manager for the redevelopment of the Boulder Civic Area, is delighted, “The mural on 13th and Arapahoe really starts the process of reactivating the Civic Area — watch this space for more events over the summer!”
Hirsch was visiting Boulder to participate in Boulder Digital Works’ (BDW) first annual signature event called, “RE:.” The centerpiece event took place at the Boulder Theater on Thursday, May 1, and showcased startup team demonstrations from BDW’s designer-founder accelerator. Hirsch, an artist/improviser who explores how individuals and organizations co-create and collaborate, while having a ridiculously good time, served as the “Master of Experience.” For more information about “Re:,” please visit bdw.colorado.edu/re
BDW is an internationally recognized experimental design studio co-located within the ATLAS Institute and the College of Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, BDW’s output includes a three-semester 50-week graduate accelerator for designer founders, the social innovation initiative Global Change by Design, and Brandscapes.
The City of Boulder Office of Arts & Cultural Services is a program of the Library and Arts Department. Projects of the office include public art, library and cultural programming, creative sector initiatives, and with the consultation of the Boulder Arts Commission, the city’s cultural grants program.